


The last night

by Viroro



Category: Original Work
Genre: First Lines Challenge, Flash Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5697871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viroro/pseuds/Viroro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A boy is cornered in a graveyard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The last night

The night of March 1st, 1843, the third since a shooting star with a blazing tail bright enough to put any other celestial body to shame appeared in the sky, would be another peaceless night.

The boy let out a deep breath, keeping his shovel close. They were there, he knew it.

He couldn't recall anymore how long he had been stuck in the graveyard, without food or water. He was starting to feel hunger pangs, and his bones showed through his skin.

They would come to hunt him once again, just like they did with all of his family for the last three days.

With the cold steel on his frigid skin, the boy's glare sharpened. They wouldn't take him, too.

Footsteps grabbed his attention. The boy's body stiffened, and he pressed himself behind a gravestone. He stuck out just enough to see who was coming, an adult man and a girl of his age.

"He's here, father? Are you sure?"

"He can't have gone too far. Be careful, Julia."

The boy clenched his fists to the point his bones cracked. They had no restraint in throwing even her against him.

He started to breathe hard and tried to calm himself. His hunger grew more and more restless, and it was hard to stay focused.

The footsteps closed in. The boy felt ready to explode at any moment.

He hoped for them to leave. He hoped not to have to fight them. He could fight off the man, but not Julia.

The steps were even closer. The boy couldn't take it anymore, and came out of his hiding place, brandishing his shovel.

"Lucas?"

The boy's eyes widened, stopping the shovel right before it would have decapitated Julia. The girl he liked was staring at him as if he were a monster.

He wanted to talk to her. He would've explained her that he didn't want things to go that way. But the more he tried to talk, the more incoherent sounds came out of his mouth.

Julia sobbed quietly, as the boy kept the weapon right in front of her face.

A gunshot broke the silence. Lucas's body fell on one of the tombs, a blank stare and a hole in the middle of the forehead.

The man dashed towards Julia, putting an hand on her shoulder and clutching his daughter to himself. The girl dug her head into her father's chest, weeping bitterly.

"Did we do the right thing?"

"Yes, Julia. We couldn't do otherwise."

Julia rubbed her tears away, and her eyes went to the gravestone Lucas's corpse was draped over.

_Lucas Rowan, 1825-1842._

**Author's Note:**

> A flash fic done in under twenty minutes for my writing course, using the first line of the teacher's latest novel ("La Mammana") as a starting point for a completely different story. I ended up liking the results enough to want to publish it. Many thanks to rat_insatiable on AO3 for her help in betaing and polishing this story; check her works if you have the chance. Thanks to everyone that will read!


End file.
